Sikh Leader Charged With Poll Fraud In New Zealand

MELBOURNE – A Sikhleader in New Zealand wascharged with 20 counts of forgingelection documents to increasehis chances of winning alocal body poll in 2010.Daljit Singh, Labour Partymember and a leader of thecountry’s small Sikh community,has pleaded not guilty to chargesin the High Court in Auckland.Singh, who was runningfor the Otara-Papatoetoe localboard area in Auckland in the2010 election, faced 20 chargesof forging documents to changepeople’s residential addresses.Crown prosecutor RobinMcCoubrey told the court thatSingh falsely changed a largenumber of people’s addresseson the Electoral EnrolmentCentre (EEC)’s website so theyfell into the catchment of theOtara-Papatoetoe board.Seven other men, whohelped Singh, are also ontrial on the same charges,but on fewer counts, RadioNew Zealand reported.McCoubrey told ajury of 10 women andtwo men that Singh andGurinder Atwall, who hecalled Singh’s “right-handman,” used the namesof Sikhs to go on to theEEC’s website. “The vastmajority of those whoseaddresses were changedwere unaware it was happening,”he said. The trialis set for six weeks and 200witnesses will be called togive evidence.In The Dock:Daljit Singh, a Labour Partymember and leader of the country’ssmall Sikh community, haspleaded not guilty to chargesHe faced 20 charges offorging documents to changepeople’s residential addressesSeven other men, whohelped him, are also on trial onthe same charges, but on fewercounts